With You
by Kokoryu
Summary: I'm happy as long as I'm with you. SasuSaku


**A/N**: Bored (yawn) Well, it's 6 am and I feel like a total failure! I'm just really frustrated lately, I've read other authors stories and I can't help but feel totally out of their league, I mean, they have written 15 stories in the past year and I have written what? Like three in like five months? I'm sorry if my ranting is bringing you readers down :( Anyways, this is just a little story that I had to try :) Here it is!!!!! I think I feel a bit better after releasing my innermost thoughts...Hope yuh likee :) Song 'Lips of an Angel' by Hinder. Please check my profile to see more info.

* * *

**With You**

**-----**

_My heart is still searching._

_You tell me to stop._

_I ask you why._

_You tell me to stop and say I'm annoying._

_I ask you again, and yet you still don't reply..._

* * *

------ 

---

------

---

------

---

------

---

------

---

------

---

------

---

------

---

------

---

------

---

------

---

------

---

------

---

------

---

------

---

------

---

------

---

------

---

**With You**

**------**

**---**

**------**

**---**

**------**

**---**

**------**

**---**

**------**

**---**

**------**

**---**

**------**

**---**

**------**

**---**

**------**

**---**

**------**

**---**

**------**

**---**

**------**

**---**

**------**

**---**

A little girl, a small, frail, weak girl. With pink hair, pretty features and a bright smile. She was covered with cuts and bruises from her latest fight, one involving her being teased, so she fought back.

A boy, small but cute, black hair and onyx eyes had saved her from a severe beating. She looked up at the handsome boy, "Thank's for saving me." she said quietly. He looked down at her and smiled, she smiled back at him. "My name is Sakura." She stuck her hand out.

He gladly took it and helped her to her feet, "My name is Sasuke, Sasuke Uchiha." He boasted proudly, "I hope your not hurt." He pointed to her numerous injuries.

Sakura looked at herself then gave him a cheeky grin, "Nah, I'm fine. These are just paper cuts!" She gave a cute chuckle, "Say, your from the Uchiha clan right?"

He nodded politely, "Yeah, I even have the clan symbol on my clothes, see?" He stuck his chest out and pointed to Uchiha clan fan.

A small nimble finger poked his chest, "Cool! I bet you know a whole lot of Justus!" She exclaimed, flailing her arms in the air, "Ooh, can you teach me one?" Her eyes looked at him hopefully.

"I can't."

Why not?" She pouted, which Sasuke found to be very cute.

He looked down at the ground, "I don't know any, my dad says he'll teach me when I'm ten, and I'm only seven," He lied, it was true that he knew numerous techniques, but his father never promised to teach him anything.

"Oh," her eyes reverted to the ground then back to his face, "I guess I'll be seeing you around school then." She gave him a toothy grin.

"Yeah, you will."

Her smile widened, "Alright, bye Sasuke!" She waved to him and ran off to her house.

Sasuke stared at her retreating back, "I like your smile." He quietly murmured.

**Two nights later...**

Black stared into crimson, "Why? WHY!?," He asked, sobbing for the nonexistent lives of his parents.

"To test my strength."

"To test your strength? That's it? You killed them just for that?" Sasuke stood up from his fetal position, "You killed them! I will kill you!" He charged toward his brother with a balled up fist, but Itachi was faster.

He grabbed hold of Sasuke's throat, almost vice-like, choking him. "Foolish little brother, I will keep you alive."

He went on, "Hate me, loathe me, despise me...go and cling to life."

Sasuke stared into the cold, crimson eyes of his brother, then fell to the ground, coughing and rubbing his sore neck, "I. Will. Kill.You." He managed to choke out.

Then everything went black...

----

It was a bright sunny day, perfect for a stroll in the quiet woods. Sakura looked around, searching for a certain, onyx eyed Uchiha. She spotted him near the lake, looking down at his own reflection. "Sasuke-kun!" She chirped, running toward him, "I've been looking for you!"

He gave her a dismissive look, "Go away."

He turned around and didn't get to see the hurt expression on her face, "Sasuke-kun...what's the matter?" She walked closer to him, "C'mon, tell me what's wrong."

"No, go away."

She looked down at the ground, "Okay."

**Five years later...**

"Team 7...Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke!"

They were all in the same team that year.

The avenger, Uchiha Sasuke.

The Nine-Tailed Fox, Uzumaki Naruto.

What was she? Was she special? Did she have anything that put her aside from all the others?

That year, Sasuke had finally gotten his Sharingan, "I can feel it!" He yelled, charging at Zabuza. Everything seemed slow, he knew what attack they would use.

Naruto finally found the right mentor, Jiraiya. He was as perverted as Kakashi, and as strong as Tsunade. He was also her former flame.

She had perfect chakra control and superb genjutsu ability, that was it. Nothing else...

She felt the urge to rip her hair out.

She wasn't special.

She soon found herself sobbing on the bridge where her team usually met. Even if she trained harder, she figured she would never be as good as Sasuke-kun or Naruto, "You're so useless!" She berated herself, angered by the numerous times Naruto and Sasuke had to save her. "Why aren't I good enough?" She stared at her reflection, looking closer to see if there was a true warrior inside...and yet she found...nothing. There was a pregnant pause before she broke into hysterics, _again_.

Her fists suddenly tightened, "Stop beating yourself up Sakura!" She told herself, "The chuunin exams all ready passed, if you train harder, then maybe next year you can become chuunin and maybe even impress Sasuke-kun." She blushed.

_'But how am I going to get stronger? Who will help me?'_

"Haruno."

She turned around to an unfamiliar face, "Hyuuga-sama, gomen. I think I should go now."

"I need your help." Came is monotonous voice.

Sakura stared at him, bewildered, "W-what? My help?" She stuttered, "Hyuuga-sama, I don't think I could help you with anything."

He scoffed, "I don't think I would have came for nothing."

She stared into his lavender orbs and gave him a confused look, "Hyuuga-sama..."

"Come."

He led her to a private training area in the woods, not too far from Konoha. It was beautiful, trees surrounding a nice, clean spot of the ground.

She walked directly behind him, careful not to get too close. "So what exactly do you need me for?" She inquired, still unsure why he led her to the woods.

"I need help with TenTen."

She gasped and smiled, "Aww you like her? That is so cu-"

"No," he quickly interjected, " she likes me and honestly, I want to let her know that I don't want to reciprocate those kinds feelings in the nicest way possible." He said, his voice deep.

Whether or not she wanted to help, she had nothing else to do so she figured why not, "Ok, I bite. But why me? Why not Ino or Hinata? I barely know you, Hyuuga-sama." She reasoned.

He took a deep breath of air and looked at her straight in the eye, "Hinata would most likely faint and your friend, Ino is too much of a blabber-mouth and would probably tell TenTen." He finished, the same stoic facial expression on his face.

She bit her lower lip, "Alright, what do you need to know?"

He frowned deeply, "Everything."

She sighed, _oh boy_.

-----

"So what you're saying is that I should tell her honestly and hope that she takes it well?"

"Well, yeah. If she seems that in love with you, then she won't shy away. She'll want you in her life as a friend instead of not having you in her life at all."

He looked at her face, it was too pale, even for someone like her.

"Haruno, have you been eating lately?"

"...?" She shook her head no.

"I see." He then got up from his seated position and held out a hand for her. She looked at him questioningly, but took his hand anyway. He didn't let go even after she was on her feet, then he started to literally drag her to the busy streets of Konoha.

"Hyuuga-san, where are we going?" She asked, her face flushed by the closeness.

She couldn't help but notice the stares that were sent their way. Who wouldn't? It was Neji 'the human ice block' Hyuuga. It was unusual for him to take someone by the hand and decide to drag them around Konoha.

"What does it look like? We're going to eat somewhere."

"...!"

----

He dragged her to Ichiraku, he didn't want to go all out and treat her to a fancy restaurant, so he decided to go for something that was less formal.

She ordered the regular miso pork ramen and he ordered the spicy ramen. She was surprised someone like him liked something spicy, she thought he would have just ordered water.

"Hyuuga-sama-"

"Please just call me Neji." He insisted.

"Ok," she paused, "Neji-san, why are you doing this?" She looked at him quizzically, waiting for him answer.

His reply came about five minutes after she had asked, "I wanted to thank you. You know, for the advice you gave me."She just smiled at him. A few minutes later, their food came.

She took a first bite and moaned, "Mm, this is so good. No wonder Naruto loves this place." She took another bite, this time, she made unnecessary slurping noises.

Neji ate his ramen slowly, ignoring the suspicious glances of commoners passing by. His attention was caught by Sakura when she called out his name.

"I just wondered, what do guys like you expect in a girl?" She fiddled with her fingers as a deep blush crept on her face.

"Why do you ask?"

"I just wanted to know."

He scanned her for a moment, curious to know what her ulterior motive was, "Very well then, guys like girls that aren't too thin, a little bit of meat on their bones wouldn't hurt. Also, they want girls that can carry themselves, they want them to be strong and not useless." Sakura looked down, she wasn't any of those, "But there are always exceptions to the rules." He finished.

A ghost of a smile appeared on her face, "Arigatou, Neji-san."

She placed a her money on the table and left. He watched her back leaving the small eatery before murmuring, "I like your smile."

----

**A few nights later...**

"What are you down here so late? Just out for a stroll?" He asked, not bothering to look at her face.

She tried not to brake down immediate, "In order to leave the village, you have to take this road," She explained.

"Go home and sleep."

"Why?" Her voice rang throughout the trees. "Why won't you say anything to me?," he ignored her, "Why do you shut everyone out?" he ignored her again, "Why don't you tell me anything?"

"Why do I have to tell you?" He snapped. "I am telling you that you meddle too much." He grew impatient, "Stop bothering me all the time."

A sad smile appeared on her face as she tried to stop the tears from falling, "You always act like you hate me, Sasuke-kun." Then, she remembered the first time she actually talked to him, back when they were seven.

_"I like your smile." She heard him say as she ran to her house, that made her smile even wider._

"Do you remember?" She asked, recalling the past, "When we became genin?," She tried to be more clear, "The three man teams were decided, and we were alone at this very spot." All the memories came back to them, "You were angry at me, weren't you?" Shame flushed through her.

_"See, he doesn't have any parents." She boasted, __"Being alone, he doesn't get yelled at by his parents." A smirk came onto her face, __"That's why he is always so unruly." She finished._

_He grew angry, "Loneliness..." She wouldn't possibly know._

_"Huh?"_

_"You can't compare it to how you feel after you get scolded by your parents." Her face scrunched up into confusion._

_"What's wrong?"_

_He turned around to face her, "You are annoying." __She stood back, surprised at what he had said to her._

_She can't...I can't...I won't tell her, I just...I can't_ "I don't remember." He lied.

Another tear ran down her cheek, then she gave a small laugh. "That's right. That was a long time ago." She said, trying to hide the obvious hurt, "But it started on that day, you and I, and Naruto and Kakashi-sensei."

_'Stop it Sakura...'_ His mind pleaded.

"The four of us had done a lot of missions together." She continued, "It was difficult, and it was awful, but..." She trailed off, remembering the happy times, "But...It was fun!" He still didn't say anything, but his mind was begging her to stop with the guilt trips. She still didn't stop, "But with revenge alone, you will not be able to make anyone happy."

She heard him scoff and couldn't help but smile, "I know about what happened to your clan. No one will be happy."

"No one...not you...nor me." He grew tired, he had to get to him fast. This was just a waste of his time. "I know that."

His eyes stared up at the moon, "I am different than you guys."

"I follow a different path than you guys...," he continued. "The four of us together...It's true that I have thought of that as one possible path." He confessed, but he had already made up his mind. He was an avenger, he could not throw away his goal. "Despite the four of us having been together, my heart has chosen revenge."

"I live for that purpose." His heart clenched, remembering the night of the murder of his parents, "I can't be like you or Naruto."

The tears couldn't stop from falling, she had to stop him, she had to show him that the path he was choosing was a foolish choice, "Aren't you going to be lonely by yourself?"

"Sasuke-kun, you told me that being alone is painful!" Her trembling voice yelled, "I know how it feels to be lonely, so much that it hurts." Images of her parents came to mind and she could not help but cry harder. They were dead, and she lived all alone, by herself. "I have family and friends." She lied, trying to convince him to stay, "But...if you leave, to me...I'ts the same thing as being alone!"

"From this point on, new paths will start."

"I...I love you more than anything!" She confessed.

His heart had almost stopped beating, she couldn't possibly know what love meant. But still, a vice-like grip remained around his heart, squeezing and torturing him, telling him to man up and tell her the truth. Of course his pride would never let him do so. "I know." He said in a monotonous tone, ignoring the painful sob that erupted from her throat. _If only you could see, Sakura._

"If you are by my side, I will make sure you will not regret it, and you will be happy." _Yes, I would be happy, just as long as your by my side._

"I would do anything for you!" _Anything?_

"If that's not possible, please take me with you..." _I wish I could, but you'd only get hurt._

He knew if she went any further, he would have broken down and told her his love for her. So now, he had to seal the deal, this was it, he turned around and smirked at her pretty face, "After all this, you're still annoying."

Sasuke couldn't bare to see her tear stricken face, "If you go, I'll scream out loud and..." Time froze for a moment, Sakura stared at his retreating back. Her Sasuke-kun...gone..._NO! NO! NO!_

"Don't go!" She screamed.

He disappeared, and her heart almost shattered, but then she felt a presence behind her. Viridian eyes widened, the tears that were un-shed, came like a river flowing. _What was he going to do?_

"Sakura..." His voice trailed, gruff and deep, unsure of what to say to her.

"Thank you."

His fingers connected with her pressure point, and she felt an acute stinging on her neck. A gasp escaped her mouth as her eyes fell shut, "Sasuke-kun..."

_How could you?_

* * *

--- 

------

---

------

---

**Days Later...**

Sakura opened the door slowly, stepped in and bowed her head, she then looked at the godaime with a steel-cold look in her eyes. "Hokage-sama, may I have a moment?"

"Make it quick." She answered, not bothering to look up from her paper work.

"Please make me your apprentice!" The pink haired shinobi stood before the very hokage, staring into her honey glazed orbs.

Tsunade looked at her, wondering why she was here in the first place. Her hands were joined together on top of her desk, while letting her chin rest on it. "Haruno Sakura, Kakashi has told me you are an excellant student."

She remained calm.

A smile appeared on the hokage's face, "Very well," she remebered Dan and her little brother, Nawaki. Her face then hardened, "It won't be be easy though."

A gasp escaped Sakura's mouth, "Hai!" She smiled and turned to leave before Tsunade stopped her.

"Sakura," she called out, "You have a very nice smile."

------

---

------

---

------

---

------

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled running over to Sakura, who was currently holding a bird, "Sakura-chan!"

Her head turned to the boisteroud blonde, "Naruto, hey!"

He looked down at the blue jay in her hand, "Watcha doin'?" He asked, a smile still plastered on his face.

"Oh," she sadly looked down at it, "I found it while it was injured, it got separated from it's friends." Her hand emitted a green glow, healing the bird, "It's all better now," she smiled as it flapped it's wings and flew to two other blue jays, "It's with it's friends now."

They both looked at eachother and smiled.

------

---

------

---

------

Press that Go button NOW!!!!!!!


End file.
